


If Only

by PrincessLocket



Category: Inazuma Eleven, Inazuma Eleven: Ares no Tenbin, Inazuma Eleven: Orion no Kokuin
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Car Accident, Implied/Referenced Violence, Mostly Canon But They Never Met As Kids, One-Shot, trigger - Freeform, trigger warning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-10
Updated: 2019-09-10
Packaged: 2020-10-13 17:28:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20586281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrincessLocket/pseuds/PrincessLocket
Summary: It all happened in a blur. One minute he was arguing with Hiroto, the next he was being pushed out of the way from an oncoming vehicle. And then came a horrid screech of wheels and the sound of someone being hit right behind him





	If Only

Tatsuya groaned as his eyes found the name of his final lab partner. Out of all the people in the class he just had to paired up with Kira Hiroto. The boy who absolutely despised him from the moment they had met just had to be his partner for their final assignment of the year.

Upon noticing his friends’ distress, Midorikawa placed a hand over the red-haired male’s shoulder. The two exchanged a knowing look before Tatsuya placed a hand to his forehead.

“Do you think it’s too late to ask for a change in partners?” Tatsuya sighed out, dragging his hand slowly down his face.

Taking a look around the classroom, Midorikawa let out a sigh of his own. They had been the last ones to have seen the posted paper assigning their lab partners and were pretty much the last ones still staring at the paper. All of their other classmates, who had already seen the paper, were now sitting with their assigned partner and chatting amongst themselves. The few students who were still waiting for their lab partners cast sympathetic looks in Tatsuya’s direction before looking off in some other direction.

Midorikawa shook his head as he turned to look back to Tatsuya, who was glaring at the paper on the wall.

“We can try to get my partner to switch with you if you’d like. I’m sure…” Midorikawa took a moment to look back at the paper to find his assigned partner. “Saginuma wouldn’t mind switching with you.”

Tatsuya let out a small laugh, a small smile replacing the glare from just moments ago. “Are you kidding me? Saginuma can’t stand Hiroto! They’d be butting heads until the end of the school year, that or the teacher would just switch me back to being partnered up with Hiroto in the first place.”

Midorikawa shrugged, removing his hand from Tatsuya’s shoulder, and turned to find his new seat with Tatsuya trailing close behind.

“I just don’t get it. What’s his problem with you? Ever since you two met it’s been like this. I just can’t stand the way he talks to you.” Midorikawa huffed. His hands tightened into fists as he made his way to his shared desk, which lucky for him, was at the back of the class.

Tatsuya shrugged to the green-haired males back. “I have no idea. All I know is that he’s going to throw a fit when he finds out that I’m his partner for the rest of the school year.” Tatsuya half grumbled to himself. Just the mere thought of Hiroto walking up to the paper and complaining to the entire class just how awful Tatsuya is was starting to give the red head a headache.

“If we’re lucky he may not even show up to class today! You know how he is with school.” Midorikawa laughed while placing his backpack onto his shared desk.

It took Tatsuya a moment to realize they had made it to the back of the class before he let himself slouch in place.

“That’s what I’m mostly worried about if I’m being honest. If these last few weeks are anything like the ones before then we both know there’s going to be a lot of partnered assignments to do. Which means double the work me.”

“Yeah, but-“ A bell rang overhead, cutting off whatever it was Midorikawa was going to say.

The two males sighed in unison as the bell died off and in came their teacher along with a few other students.

Saginuma nodded at the two before he took his seat next to Midorikawa, signaling that it was time for Tatsuya to head off to his own seat. However, when Tatsuya turned to move, a hand grabbed at his wrist. Tatsuya looked to Midorikawa who mouth a “good luck” before releasing his wrist. 

Tatsuya once again turned to walk back to his seat, which unfortunately for him, was located right in the front of the room where everyone could watch him get mistreated by Hiroto.

The only good thing Tatsuya could think of that came from sitting in front of the class was how their teacher would be there if he needed it. In the past when other students had sat in the front of the class, their teacher would put a stop to anything she found her students to be doing if it were distracting. Now this wasn’t something she would always do, however. On multiple occasions, their teacher would let talking and the occasional banter slide amongst other questionable things. Because according her, “The classroom is meant for us to experiment our social butterflies in,” whatever that meant, Tatsuya didn’t know. All he knew was that this was going to be a long last few weeks. Thankfully, he would only have to be seated next to Hiroto once a day for an hour each week. So, if he could manage as little to no conversation with Hiroto then that was fine by him.

By the time Tatsuya had made it to his seat, the door to the classroom had opened once again to reveal none other than Hiroto himself.

All eyes turned to the gray-haired male’s direction before turning away to look back to the front of the class. 

Already knowing where his seat was, Hiroto strode to where Tatsuya was. Without so much of a greeting, Hiroto took his seat next to the red-haired male, blowing a small bubble with his bubble gum.

With all students in their seat, their teacher greeted the class. She first started by explain to the class how she expected good behavior from each of them seeing as these would be their permanent seats until the end of the year. She then went on to explain what they should all expect to be taught for the next few weeks and handed out a list of things they should be studying during their free time.

Several times Tatsuya caught himself glancing in Hiroto’s direction. Whether it be to see if Hiroto were popping his gum or to see if Hiroto were genuinely paying attention to what was being said, Tatsuya kept finding himself watching the other. There were a few times where Hiroto would catch the other staring at him and he would give the other a bored stare, which made the other look away in annoyance. 

This silent process of looking to one another during their teachers talking went on for most of the class period until final their teacher said something that caught both of their attentions.

“Alright, so for your first partnered assignment I would like you and your partner to pick a topic to research over and record your findings into a two-page word document which you will be turning in by the end of the week! The topic must be school appropriate and have something to do with either the environment or astrology. Please make sure to arrange plans to meet up with your partner as soon as possible- Now are there any questions?” 

A hand raised in the back and their teacher pointed in their direction.

“Yes?”

Said student cleared their throat before speaking. There was a clear edge in their voice as they spoke. “Not to be disrespectful, ma’am, but how do you expect us write a two-page paper by the end of the week when we’ve only just been assigned our new lab partner? I don’t know about you, but I’ve got a lot on my plate as it is and would rather not add some silly paper on top of it.”

A few students began to whisper around the room and all Tatsuya could do was sigh, wishing he could talk to Midorikawa about their new assignment like the rest of the class. 

Their teacher raised a hand and the rest of the class quieted down. A small smile stretched across her lips as she spoke.

“Well, I believe that you all have grown closer as a class throughout this school year.” Several students looked to their partners with smiles, Midorikawa and Saginuma included, as their teacher went on. “If anyone can get an assignment such as this one it would be you all. I have full trust in each of you that you will be able to complete this assignment together.”

Again, several students began to whisper to one another and soon another bell rang overhead, signaling that it was the end of class. 

Tatsuya sighed, turning to his side and picking his backpack off from the ground. His fingers grasped at the straps of his backpack in annoyance when the sound of gum popping sounded loudly behind his ear.

“So, when exactly should we plan on meeting up?” Hiroto asked, a bored look plastered on his face as he stared at his phone, rather than at the red head.

Tatsuya almost rolled his eyes but stopped himself when the other looked up to meet his gaze. A small bubble of gum began to form as the other waited for an answer. 

“That’s a little funny to hear coming from you.” Tatsuya began. His eyes flickering to his side, watching Midorikawa settle against a wall just behind Hiroto, waiting patiently for Tatsuya to finish.

The bubble popped once more and Hiroto quickly collected the remains back into his mouth. His eyes narrowed for a moment, but otherwise he did not say a thing, waiting for Tatsuya to go on.

Tatsuya had to pick his next words carefully. If he were to say anything offensive there would be stopping those hurtful words Hiroto was bound to say to him. Midorikawa might be in the room but that didn’t mean he would be able to rush in and stop Hiroto from saying whatever it was that he might say. The best thing Midorikawa would be able to do was to make up an excuse to get him out of there if need be and even then would that really stop Hiroto from following them to say what he needed to say?

“What I mean is- I didn’t think you’d want to work with me on this.” Tatsuya hoped he was saying this right. Hiroto’s eyes hadn’t changed but there was definitely something strange going on behind them. Curiosity. That was the only word Tatsuya could come up with before he looked to the clock on the side of the room.

School hours were over which meant soccer practice would be starting soon. If he didn’t leave now then he would be late and most likely miss out on doing his daily stretches. 

Hiroto glanced a look at phone and huffed what sounded like a sigh.

“I’d rather not do this assignment if I’m being honest.” He started, looking back to his phone and pressing on some apps, before continuing. “But there’s something I’m interested in researching." 

Hiroto held his phone out to the other and began to blow another bubble.

A blank contact was open on the screen. Tatsuya blinked once, twice, three times before he fully understood what was being asked. Hiroto wanted his number. It made sense, he had registered all of his past lab partners numbers into phone throughout the school year, but this time it just felt weird. Though he knew this was only for the assignment, Tatsuya couldn’t help but feel suspicious. 

What if Hiroto started to send him texts on just how much he couldn’t stand him? Or worse, what if Hiroto started handing out his number to random people who would harass him as well?

Hiroto must have sensed Tatsuya’s panic for he popped his bubble in order to talk again. 

“I’m not going to do anything with your number.” He rolled his eyes. “Just put it in so we can schedule a meet up time or whatever.”

Nervous hands grabbed the phone, fingers just barely hovering over the keyboard.

Tatsuya glanced another look at Hiroto and then began to type his number into the phone. Though he was sure Hiroto would change his name to something later, Tatsuya input his given name. When he was done he handed the phone back to gray haired male and awkwardly took a step back, ready to leave the classroom. Before he could fully leave, his phone began to buzz in his pocket. 

An eyebrow raised in Hiroto’s direction and all the other did was shrug before the buzzing stopped.

“Just checking.” Hiroto stated as he slipped his signature white earbuds into his ears. “Text me when you’re out of practice.” And with that, Hiroto turned to leave the room.

Midorikawa, who was now standing making his way to Tatsuya, eyed Hiroto on his way out. There was some kind of anxious feeling that settled in the green haired males’ stomach as he passed Hiroto. It made his hands fidget and hurried his steps to get to Tatsuya faster.

“Ready to head out?” Midorikawa asked, keeping his eyes on Hiroto as he slowly filtered of the room. It was then that he turned his attention back to Tatsuya, taking notice of how the other had suddenly gone pale.

“Tatsuya? What’s wrong?”

The red head shook his head, letting out a breath he hadn’t even know he was holding. 

“Nothing, I just- How did he…? You know what, never mind, let’s go.”

Tatsuya took a step to leave and soon found himself walking alone into the hallway. He gave the other a questioning look over his shoulder before Midorikawa rushed to his side.

* * *

Shaky hands hit sends before he even knew what he was doing. This was it, Hiroto and Tatsuya were going to plan a meet up to start on their assignment. Or at least, that’s what Tatsuya was hoping for. There was no real way in telling if Hiroto actually wanted to work on the assignment together or if was just pulling Tatsuya’s leg. Sure, he had said he had a topic in mind to research, but that could have easily been a lie. Hiroto had been known to make things up in the past to get what he wanted, which was mostly likely to get a good grade in this case. 

Tatsuya let out a small laugh. Of course, that had to be Hiroto’s reasoning. Hiroto would never try to act all buddy buddy with him for no real reason. By now he knew what the gray-haired male was like; just a big jerk who only did things to get what he wanted. 

The feel of his phone buzzing in his hands brought Tatsuya back to his senses. His fingers already unlocking his phone in order to see who had texted him. Which was, of course, Hiroto.

** _Hiroto: _ ** _Sure_

_I’ll be there in a few minutes._

Tatsuya let out a groan. He had been silently hoping for the other to have declined their meet up or to have waved it off and asked to start on it tomorrow. Not wanting to sit around moping on the text, Tatsuya rose from his seat on the bench and made his way out of the school. 

Another buzz sounded from his phone, and begrudgedly, Tatsuya unlocked it. There was another message from Hiroto.

** _Hiroto: _ ** _Want anything to eat? I’m stopping by the store, so I can’t get anything big._

Now that he thought about it, Tatsuya was starting to feel hungry. The way his stomach let out a loud growl, made him flush in embarrassment, while his fingers typed and quick _“No thank you,” _in response. With a shake of his head, Tatsuya shoved his phone into his pocket and continued his walk to the public library. 

It only took him a few turns here and there around street corners before he was able to make it the front steps of the library. And would you look at that, Hiroto was sitting on the steps with a smug look on his face. The bag he had in his hands swung in place as he rose. A hand raised, signaling for Tatsuya to follow him inside.

Tatsuya made sure to keep a safe distance between them and only moved closer when Hiroto whispered that he had a table upstairs for them already set up.

This both raised a surprised and questioning gaze to the red heads face, which earned a smug smirk to cross Hiroto’s features.

“What? You didn’t think I was joking about wanting to work on this assignment now, did you?”

Instead of waiting for an answer, Hiroto turned and made his way up a flight of stairs just a little ways ahead of where they had been standing.

When they had made it to the second floor, Hiroto lead the other to a back corner of the library, where a table filled with neatly arranged books sat. Tatsuya tilted his head in confusion at the tiles of several of the books. A majority of them seemed to be dealing with the stars and space, a topic Tatsuya found a bit intriguing himself.

Hiroto and Tatsuya each took a seat opposite to each other, both looking at a separate book on the table. It Hiroto who broke the silence first. He grabbed a book and flipped through a few pages before he landed on one with an orange bookmark stuffed between the pages.

“I want to research how constellations are formed.” Hiroto placed his finger over a paragraph of the book. A small smile tugged at his lips when Tatsuya leaned in to get a better look at the text.

“Sure, I guess we could do that.” Tatsuya nodded, turning his head to a different book. “How do you want to do this? Dividing the work, I mean.” 

Hiroto just shrugged and pulled back his book. A silence drifted over the two as they took to reading their own books. There were several times where Tatsuya would write some information down on a piece of journal paper he had, making note of his findings. Hiroto, on the other hand, read away without bothering to so much as look at anything other than the book he was reading. This book annoyed and intrigue the red-haired male. On one hand, he was happy to see Hiroto get so investing in a book, his pink eyes practically glued to the pages, but on the other hand, Tatsuya wasn’t even sure if Hiroto was focused on the text itself. Sure, it may look like Hiroto was reading, but one could never tell with him. 

Some time went by and Tatsuya soon found his stomach beginning to growl from hunger. A small blush spreading over his cheeks when the growls grew in sound.

He glanced a look to Hiroto, who was still too busy reading, to have paid any attention to him, before he made a move to get up.

“There’s some snacks in my bag if you want them.”

Tatsuya looked to Hiroto, who was still staring at his book, and settled back in his chair. He then moved to grab Hiroto’s backpack from behind his chair and opened it as quietly as he could.

Inside was the bag of snacks Hiroto had bought earlier that day. There were a few crumpled up wrappers from some snacks Hiroto had eaten before going into the library. Among the crumbled-up wrappers were a few neatly packed bags of cookies and chocolate bars. To his surprise, they were his favorite chocolate bars, the ones that melted in your mouth as soon as you ate them. 

Tatsuya glanced to Hiroto and took the chocolate out from the bag. He mouthed a thank you and went to close the backpack when a certain paper caught his eye. He looked to Hiroto once more, taking note of the other seemed to still be reading the book, and then grabbed at the paper. The moment his eyes laid on the entirety of the paper, Tatsuya froze.

It couldn’t be. There was no way Hiroto could possibly have the exact same paper as his orphanage’s housefather used. This was merely a coincidence. But, the more he looked at the paper, the more Tatsuya saw the resemblance. The writing, the penmanship, was too similar to how Mr. Seijirou wrote on his papers. This was starting to weird him out. He felt Hiroto’s eyes on him, yet he couldn’t move. He felt glued to the spot, eyes going back and forth along the words on the paper. 

Within seconds, Hiroto grabbed the paper and his backpack from Tatsuya’s hands. A deep scowl stretched across his face. Tatsuya reached out for the paper, and Hiroto moved it behind him, trying to keep it out of reach of the other.

“Why do you have that?” Tatsuya asked, his hands reached for the paper once more. This time Hiroto caught his wrist, holding on just tight enough to make Tatsuya flinch.

“It’s none of your business.”

“I’m afraid I have to disagree with you. If you have something that belongs to my orphanage’s housefather, then I have a right to know what it is.” 

Hiroto’s eyes turned cold at the mention of the orphanage. His grip on the red-haired male’s wrist tightened even more, and all Tatsuya could do was grit his teeth, in pain. The two glared at each other for what felt like hours before Hiroto finally let go of the other. Tatsuya quickly cradled his wrist against his chest, eyes narrowing at the other.

Pink eyes filled with anger as he looked over the paper and then back to Tatsuya. He quickly folded the paper, much to Tatsuya’s surprise, and shoved it into his pants pocket. He then stood up from his seat and cast a pointed look to where Tatsuya still sat.

“Like I said, this is none of your business.” 

Tatsuya stood from his seat, pointing an accusing finger in the gray-haired males face.

“Like I said, I have a right to know if you have something that doesn’t belong to you.” 

Hiroto tsked at the other, swatting the hand out of his face. He swung his backpack over his shoulder as he moved away from the other to leave the room. Tatsuya quickly gathered his things, throwing them into his own backpack, before racing out after Hiroto.

By the time he had reached the other, they were both standing outside of the library. The sun had long since gone down if the indication of the street’s lights being on had anything to say about it. Still Tatsuya, raced forward until he stood in front of the other. The look in Hiroto’s eyes at being stopped was of pure anger. His eyes narrowed in a silent challenge, yet Tatsuya stood his ground. The two remained locked in a silent battle until a car horn sounded behind Tatsuya, making him flinch and look away in annoyance. 

However, any trace of annoyance was wiped away the moment the back door of the car opened.

Out came a short man, wearing a blue kimono. His smile was soft as he approached the two males. It was none other than Kira Seijirou. 

“Hello Tatsuya. It’s so good to see you.” Seijirou greeted the red-haired male with a pat to the head. 

Tatsuya beamed at the older man, nodding in greeting.

Seijirou then turned his attention to Hiroto, who was tapping away at his phone, a bubble of pink gum forming outside of his mouth.

“Hiroto, I haven’t heard from you all day. How was school?” The way Seijirou spoke was sincere, anyone could tell by the way his gaze softened while looking at the gray-haired male. However, Hiroto kept his eyes on his phone, and waved a hand.

“What concern of it is yours?” He hissed out, turning on his heels to walk down the other side of the sidewalk.

“Hey! You can’t speak to Mr. Seijirou like that!” Tatsuya rushed in stop Hiroto from leaving, but found a hand on his shoulder, keeping him in place. 

When he looked back he found Seijirou shaking his head in disapproval. Tatsuya found his shoulders slumping soon after and watched as Hiroto continued to walk until he was out of sight. It was then that he turned to look at Seijirou, who was now rubbing a hand over his eyes.

“I’m truly sorry my dear Tatsuya, Hiroto has been like this ever since he found I was helping out with the orphanage.”

Tatsuya nodded, not quiet understanding what Seijirou had meant. Not then, and not on the ride home, not even when he was getting ready for bed and still replaying the same words in his head.

It was only when he woke up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night did he finally understand what Seijirou had mean with his words. All the pieces of the puzzle he had gathered from the day finally clicking into place. The paper, the way Hiroto dismissed the man so easily, the way Seijirou had spoken so easily with Hiroto. It all made sense.

“Hiroto is his son.”

* * *

The next day at school, Hiroto doesn’t show up, leaving Tatsuya to explain their project to their teacher on his own. It’s not like he had minded doing the assignment on his own- he knew working on it alone would be inevitable, but he would have rather tried to work things out with Hiroto. 

He had sent several apology texts that morning and even some again during lunch, but no text ever came back to him. Hiroto was no doubt furious with him, even more so than usual. But why was he so mad? Yeah, Tatsuya knew who his father was, Seijirou, the man who would come by his orphanage to play with the kids, so what? If Hiroto was mad about how his father knew of him then fine. But why not try to talk things out? Whatever was going on through Hiroto’s head could easily be sorted out if he just took the chance to talk things out. Or at least, that’s what Tatsuya was hoping would do the trick.

When all classes had ended for the day Tatsuya sent Hiroto another text. This time asking if Hiroto wanted to meet up so they could talk without the assignment getting in the way. 

No text ever came from Hiroto that day, or the next, or the next. By Thursday, Tatsuya was beginning to worry. Hiroto still hadn’t shown up for classes and their project was going to be due the following day. Of course Tatsuya had completed the two pages of writing on his own the night before, but for some strange reason, this time it didn’t feel right. 

In the past Tatsuya had been the one to take on doing all and or most of the work in his paired assignments, but with the way things had gone with Hiroto, it made him feel guilty.

If only he hadn’t found that paper in Hiroto’s backpack, then maybe Hiroto wouldn’t have stormed out. If he hadn’t then maybe they wouldn’t have found Mr. Seijirou. Nothing could be certain as to what would’ve happened that day if the two hadn’t fought, but Tatsuya at least knew that Hiroto would still be in class if nothing had ever happened.

When soccer practice was over, Tatsuya was the first one to leave, ignoring his teammates on his way out of the school. He had no idea where he was going, they were just leading him away from the school, away from his problems, and away from everyone. 

The wind blew through his red hair as he walked down a particularly crowded street. His bangs blew into his eyes, blinding him temporarily. When he brushed them back off the side a head of curly gray hair came into view not too far ahead of where he was. Tatsuya walked faster, excusing himself as he weaved through the crowd of people walking in front of him until he was close enough to tap the other on his shoulder.

“Hiroto?”

The person stopped in place, causing Tatsuya to cease his movements as well, pulling his hand back quickly. Passerby’s walked around the two, some grimacing and some ignoring them as the two took up a section of the sidewalk. Neither of the males spoke nor moved from their spot for several moments. To them it felt like time had come to a stand still as they each waited with bated breath for the other to speak up first.

“Hiroto, we need to talk.” Tatsuya was the first to break the silence. His eyes staring into the mess of curly gray hair that blew gently in the wind. He almost had half a mind to reach out to touch those curls but stopped himself by brushing his own hair out of his face instead.

Hiroto was silent for a moment, his posture slouching and then straightening up again as if he wasn’t sure which position to take. He ended up doing a little bit of both, straightening up his back and slouching his shoulders as he turned to look at Tatsuya. There was a mix of agitation and sadness in his eyes when his met Tatsuya’s. His lips were turned up in his best attempt at a smirk but was slowly forming into a tired frown as the seconds ticked by. 

“Please, talk to me. I know we’ve never been on the best of terms, but I’m worried about you.”

A tired laugh sounded from the gray male, throwing Tatsuya off guard. A defeated look spread over Hiroto’s features.

“You, worried about me? Don’t make me laugh.” He let out half a laugh, a hand slapping over his right eye. “You’re kidding, right? As if some wanna be like you be worried about someone like me.” He laughed again, only this time it came out longer and broke off into more of a cackle as he went on. “Give me a break. You’re just worried that if I don’t help you with our assignment then you’ll end up with some bad grade-“

“This isn’t about our assignment!” Tatsuya cut in. A few heads turned in their direction, but otherwise they didn’t butt in.

“Then what is it about then?” His voice was just barely over a whisper. Eyes glaring daggers at the other. “What exactly does the _wanna be soccer player _have to say to me.”

“You know _who _this is about.” Tatsuya lowered his voice lowered as well. If Hiroto wanted to talk down to him, then he could do the same. 

The implications of who was inevitably about to be brought up set Hiroto off. A dark shadow fell over his face, causing Tatsuya to take a step back. What was about to happen next wasn’t going to be good. The way the atmosphere changed around the two was enough to make the people walking around them stop to look at the two. A few people brought their phones out, ready to record what looked like was going to be a fight. While several others stared on in silence. 

Tatsuya was ready for a hit, he was ready to be kicked, he was ready for whatever Hiroto had to throw at him. What he wasn’t ready for was Hiroto to grab him by the wrist and drag him away from the crowd of people and into a secluded alleyway several blocks away.

Hiroto kept a tight grip on the other, pulling Tatsuya along harder when he felt the other catching up to his pace. They only stopped when they were far enough away from anyone who might have tried to follow them, but close enough to an exit if either of them needed to make an escape from the other. 

The look in Hiroto’s eyes hadn’t died down much, in fact he looked even angrier than he had been just moments ago. It was quiet an unsettling look if you asked Tatsuya.

Finally, Hiroto let go of Tatsuya’s wrist. His hands forming into small fists as he stared at the red-haired male.

“Do you want to know why I despise you and my father so much?” He began, voice low. “It’s because he wanted you around more than he wanted me.”

“What are you talking about, of course he-“

“Shut it! You have no idea what it feels like to watch your own father spend his days at some freakin’ orphanage all day and then have him come home and only ever talk about Tatsuya this, Tatsuya that- I was sick of you before I had even met you!” Hiroto spat. His face flushing with anger when he looked into most disgustingly sympathetic eyes he had ever seen. His hand sprung forward, catching Tatsuya’s collar, and yanking the other forward. Their heads bumped and Tatsuya winced at the slight pain it caused. He kept his eyes focused on the other, watching as the gray-haired males’ eyes were turning pink with the tears that were starting to form in them. 

“I don’t get it.” His voice cracked as he glared into bright teal eyes. “What makes you so special? You’re not even his son, and yet he treats you as if you’re part of my family. Well, guess what? As long as I’m around you’re never going to be part of it. I’ll make sure of it!”

Tears pooled down Hiroto’s face in waves, his body quacking with the effort to keep any sound of his silent crying from coming out. And all Tatsuya could do was watch in shock. Hiroto had yet to let his shirt go and from the looks of it, he wasn’t planning on letting the other go anytime soon.

“Hiroto, I-“

“-You’re what? Sorry? Don’t be, I don’t need pity from you. If you hadn’t-“ Whatever Hiroto had intended to say gets forgotten in the midst of choked up laughter. His hand loosens around Tatsuya’s shirt, which allows the red-haired male to remove himself from the other. 

Tatsuya watches as Hiroto lifts his hands to wipe away the tears from his face. He takes note at how the Hiroto swipes at the tears with force rather than gently rubbing them away and he reaches a hand out.

Hiroto instinctively lurches back, swatting at Tatsuya’s hand. His face twisting in anger.

“I wish you would just disappear already and quit ruining my life! Everyone would be so much happier if you had never been born!”

Tatsuya freezes in place, mind trying to register what had just been said. A knot in his stomach started to form as let his gaze drop to the ground for a moment. His heart suddenly began to beat wildly and when he looked back up to meet Hiroto’s gaze he could practically feel the guilt radiating from the gray-haired male. 

“Wait, I didn’t mean to say that!” Hiroto rushed to say. His own eyes widening as he finally finished processing his own words

All Tatsuya gave in response was the sharp shake of his head before he found himself sprinting away from the other. He could hear Hiroto’s desperate voice calling out behind him, shouting out words of apology, but he kept moving forward. He didn’t want to hear anything more from Hiroto. He understood, as long as he was around Hiroto would never be satisfied, so why stick around now. Whatever apology the other was planning on giving him, he didn’t want to hear it. All he wanted to do was to get as far away from Hiroto as possible. 

At last, Tatsuya had made it out of the alley way. He was back in the same street from earlier, only this time there were fewer people around. Tatsuya cast a quick glance over his shoulder to see how far away Hiroto was and, to his luck, Hiroto was still a ways behind him.

Not wanting to waste time in getting caught by the other again, Tatsuya raced forward, shoving past several people until he was running across the street. He could hear his name being called out from somewhere behind, but it was quickly drowned out by the sound of a car horn, being a little too close for comfort. Tatsuya turned his head to the side, just barely catching sight of the bright lights of an oncoming vehicle. 

This was it. 

He had no time to get out of the way. He could hear the cars tires screeching on the road, trying to stop before it could hit him, but he knew it was inevitable. He was about to get hit and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

His could see his life flashing before his eyes as time seemed to slow down around him. He could see his friends from the orphanage, laughing and playing around without a car in the world. He could see Mr. Seijirou with a kind smile pointing at him. He could see every soccer match he had played up until his current year rushing past his eyes in bright colorful lights. And the last thing he was able to see was his fight with Hiroto, how the other had tears streaming down his face just moments ago.

He closed his eyes tightly, preparing for the impact of the car, when he felt a pair of hands shoving him forward and on to the side of the road, out of harm’s way. 

His body hit the road in a not too gentle way, but in the moment he could care less. He was safe and it was all thanks to- 

The sound of metal hitting something other than him causes Tatsuya to whip his head around just in time to see Hiroto laying inches away from where he was. 

Ignoring the creeping ache in his body, Tatsuya stumbled forward, ears not fully processing the noise of the world around him. All he can focus on is getting to Hiroto. He wanted to, no, he _needed _to make sure Hiroto was okay.

He lurched to a stop in front of Hiroto’s body, shaky hands grabbing onto the male’s shoulders, trying to shake him awake. But Hiroto did not move a muscle. Nothing appeared to be broken and there were no traces of blood, but he wasn’t moving! Tatsuya could feel his head spinning as several other people started to suddenly crowd around them. 

His heart beat wildly in his chest as drowned out voices called out to him. He tried to meet their gazes but found each person to be too much of a blur. The only person who wasn’t blurring under his vision was Hiroto, who Tatsuya found to be looking paler and paler under his gaze. 

The sound of sirens was one of the few things Tatsuya could properly hear through the voices of the people surrounding him. Hands reached out several times to try and touch the males, but each time Tatsuya would move his body defensively to keep any prying hands away from Hiroto. 

Tatsuya barely even realize when an ambulance pulled up beside him. The blood roaring in his ears from trying to keep Hiroto as close as possible to him. Several paramedics pilled out of the vehicle, making a rush to get to the two on the road. Tatsuya once again moved his body to shield Hiroto, but soon found himself being pulled away from the other. 

His hands reached out frantically for Hiroto, fingers clawing the air in vain as he watched the paramedics completely surround the male.

It was then that he felt his world lurch to the side. His eyes sliding shut to greet a world of darkness.

* * *

The first thing he hears when wakes up is the sound of a machine beeping. 

His eyes open slowly, and then his head is ringing. He brings his hands up to his face, smoothing over eyes and dragging them down until he lays his arms back on the bed. It’s then that Tatsuya takes a moment to look at his surroundings.

Yup, he was in a hospital room. But why? 

The last thing he could remember was running away from the fight he and Hiroto had had.

And then it all comes rushing back to him. He snaps up into a sitting position and instantly regrets it when his bones send a rush of pain coursing through his body. It takes him a minute to catch his breath before he can think properly again.

_Okay, I’m in a hospital. If I’m here, then that must mean Hiroto is too. _

He can feel the tears building up at the corner of his eyes as dark thoughts of what might have happened to Hiroto rush into his mind. Image of Hiroto laying helplessly on the side of the road cloud Tatsuya’s mind and he soon finds himself yanking out the little needles in his arm. He _needed _to see Hiroto, make sure that he was okay. To make sure nothing seriously bad had happened to him while he was sleeping in his own hospital bed. 

Tatsuya made sure to be extra careful when removing himself from his bed, stopping every now and then to allow his body to rest when a surge of pain shot through him.

When he had made it to his door, he pressed an ear to it, making sure nobody was outside. He waited for several moments before he granted the hallway to be empty and then proceeded to open the door. 

The hallway was dark and dimly lit by the looks of it and appeared to be completely vacant. Not wanting to push his luck, Tatsuya tip-toed down the hallway, throwing a look over his shoulder every so often to make sure nobody was behind him. As he moved around, he made sure to read the labels over each door, checking to see if any read Hiroto’s name.

By the time he reached the end of the hall, Tatsuya had come up with nothing. Not a single door had the name Hiroto Kira written on it.

Tatsuya dared a look around the corner of where his hallway met the next and sighed inwardly when he saw a hospital desk just a little ways from where he was. Again, he looked around the room before he hurriedly made his way to the desk. Once he was there he moved to the other side of the desk and found several scattered papers laying on display for him. 

The papers consisted mostly medical things he couldn’t understand, but after some digging around, he found a folder labeled _Patients rooms. _

Not wanting to waste any more time, Tatsuya flipped through the papers until he found Hiroto’s file. His eyes scanned across the paper, bringing them to land on the floor and room he was on. Hiroto was apparently on the same floor he was on but was in a room that appeared to be somewhere farther off to the side of the building. 

When the sound of voices sounded down the hallway he had come from, Tatsuya tensed up. He quickly shoved Hiroto’s file back into the folder, and then onto the desk before he ducked under the desk himself, holding his breath.

The voices drew closer and soon sounded almost directly in front of the desk before they eventually died down to somewhere else.

Tatsuya let out a sigh and slowly rose from his hiding space. He looked down the hallway the voices had left in and sighed again when he noticed that was the hallway he needed to go down in order to get to Hiroto.

Keeping as quiet as he could, Tatsuya raced down the hallway, scanning each room for Hiroto’s name. There were a few times where he nearly tripped on his own two feet in his anticiption to find the other, but he kept himself from falling forward each time.

By the time he was nearing the end of the hallway he could hear some more voices heading in his direction again. He looked to his sides and found two doors. This gave him an option of hiding in one of the rooms, but it was also a risk of him accidently scaring whoever was in the rooms. 

He didn’t have a choice, if he wanted to get to Hiroto’s room without being caught by the people in the hallway, hiding in one of the rooms was his best option. 

Tatsuya rushed into the room closer to him, which happened to be on his right, and closed the door as gently as he could.

He pressed his ear to the door, listening as the voices passed on by, before he slumped against the door. The beeping of a heart machine snapped Tatsuya back to his senses and he froze in place. Hopefully he hadn’t woken the person sleeping in the room. 

Tatsuya moved closer into the room to check on whoever was in there and nearly cried out in joy to find the sleeping figure of Hiroto sleeping in the bed.

He moved forward, taking care to be as quiet as possible, until he was standing on the side of the bed. He looked over the sleeping male, taking note of how his hair was in a messier disarray then before, with a roll of bandages wrapped along his forehead. Several smaller bandages littered his face while a few made their way down his throat. There was a bruise peeking out on his shoulder from underneath his hospital shirt he was wearing, and several rolls of tightly wound bandages covered up the length of his arms. All in all, he looked like a mess, which only brought tears to Tatsuya’s eyes. 

Hiroto didn’t deserve this. He had only been trying to get Tatsuya out of the way. If anyone should be in Hiroto’s position, it should’ve been him.

Tatsuya sank to his knees as newly formed tears fell down his face. This was too much to take in at once. He shouldn’t have come here, at least not yet. Not until after he could see Hiroto without all those bandages wrapped around him. Tatsuya buried his head on the side of the bed, allowing his tears to fall down his face while he let silent sob after silent sob wrack through his body. If only he could turn back time to the start of the week. Then maybe, maybe he and Hiroto could’ve started off on better terms. Not that they would be the best of friends, but maybe they would have been able to have communicated better or something, anything other than this. 

Tatsuya kept on crying for what felt like hours until his body fell into a quiet sleep. He only woke later that night when he felt a hand rubbing small shapes into his hair. The feeling was nice and oddly soothing, almost dragging him back to sleep, but that’s when the hand stilled in his hair and he felt a soft tapping instead, followed by a whispered, “Tatsuya?”

Tatsuya startles a bit, raising his head to look up Hiroto.

Hiroto gives the other a soft smile, removing his hand from red hair and closes his eyes when he feels a rush of pain spike through his arm. 

Tatsuya freezes and stares anxiously at Hiroto, who quickly waves him off with the wave of his hand. “I told you not to worry about me, didn’t I?”

At hearing that, Tatsuya looks down, causing Hiroto to look away in guilt. Memories of the days earlier events rushing back to his head and he looks back to Tatsuya. He raises his hand to place it back on top of red hair and ruffles it a bit.

“I’m sorry about what I said earlier. I didn’t mean it.” He glances a look to his wrapped-up arms and lets out a long sigh. “I was just taking my anger out on you- If I’m being honest, when I said those things about you… I was really referring to myself.” Hiroto lets out a stained laugh, turning his attention to his heart monitor.

“If anything, the world would be better off without me in it.” 

Tatsuya grabbed at the hand resting on his head and brought it to his forehead, squeezing it slightly between his own hands.

“Don’t you ever say that about yourself again, do you hear me!” He whisper shouted to the other. This startled Hiroto a bit and caused him to look back to bright teal eyes. “Even though you may act like a jerk a majority of the time, that doesn’t mean you deserve to be erased from this planet! You saved my life and for that I owe you.”

Hiroto let out a chuckle, taking back his hand from the other and using it to brush through his own bangs. 

“You don’t owe me anything and I can say whatever I want about myself.” Hiroto smiled to himself. “But, I guess you’re right. If I weren’t around then who be ruling the school when no one’s watching?”

Tatsuya let out his best attempt at a fake laugh as he rolled his eyes at the other.

“You ruling the school? Don’t make me laugh!” 

“When no one is watching.” Hiroto corrected.

The two feel into some laughter and continued their little banter for several hours into the night. Neither had really paid much attention to when the sun had risen and neither seemed to care. They were starting off fresh and if a nurse walked in at six in the morning to check on Hiroto, only to usher Tatsuya out, then that was perfectly fine.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for taking the time to read this fic! I tried not to make it too graphic, but just enough to where I could get some kind of point across-
> 
> I started this off wanting to make it a short one-shot, but it kind of spiraled into something longer than I had intended. Either way I hope you enjoyed reading this!


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